Book Reviews

Book Reviews Leo Roeten. Chronological Developments in the Old Kingdom the weakening state; such reductionism and monocausality Tombs in the Necropoleis of Giza, Saqqara and Abusir: Toward is characteristic of the volume and one of its central flaws. an Economic Decline during the Early Dynastic Period and the Part one, chapter two introduces the Giza necropolis; Old Kingdom. Archaeopress Egyptology 15 (Oxford: Ar- the overview is swift and light on data, not discussing ele- chaeopress, 2016). ISBN (paperback) 9781784914608. ments, like tomb distribution within the cemeteries, that will Pp. xiv + 144. become necessary to his later analyses. Chapter three introduces chronological change in the number of false doors (1 As stated in the title of this work, Leo Roeten sets out to or 2) found in a Giza tomb chapel, finding that during the establish a relationship between mastaba development and reign of Khufu the number of false doors was restricted, economic decline over the course of Dynasties 1–6. Though with the use of two false doors becoming more common the title does not make it clear, Giza provides his primary at the end of his reign only to decrease again starting in dataset; the necropoleis of Saqqara and Abusir are used as the late fifth dynasty, perhaps due to a “deterioration of the secondary lines of argumentation due to limitations within financial situation” of the officials (38). Chapter six reprises the published data (Saqqara) or the sample size (Abusir). this analysis, looking at false door presence in “richer” and Limited data on Abu Rowash are also considered. “poorer” tombs (see below). The data are presented through line graphs and scatter charts; he discusses not only number The text is divided into four parts: I: Various chronologi- of false doors, but the relationship of false door placement cal developments of dimensional aspects of the tombs in to the surface of the tomb. Other elements of the false door the necropolis of Giza (chapters 1–7); II: The necropoleis outside of number—for example, inscription, form, or dec- of Abusir and Saqqara. A verification of the chronological oration—are not discussed here, presumably appearing in tendencies of Giza (chapters 8–10); III: Additional meth- Roeten’s earlier monograph, The Decoration of the Cult Chapel ods for controlling the proposed dating of a tomb (chapters Walls of the Old Kingdom Tombs at Giza. A New Approach to their 11–12); IV: Catalogues and tables (tables 01–04.2, X.1). Interaction (Leiden, 2014). Roeten begins by laying out some basic considerations in Chapters four and five present diachronic change in the Chapter one, including a short history of the development dimensions of Giza tombs. These two chapters lay out the of the mastaba during the Old Kingdom and a presenta- fundamental approach of the study: to measure and chart tion of the chronological groupings that he will employ. “the surface of the tomb and the chapel, the length of the Also in this chapter is a brief overview of climate change western wall, the width of the chapel and the values derived in the third millennium BC that presents the period as be- thereof…” (40). He does not work through his methodol- ing dominated by a drying trend (15–17). Most of the re- ogy in any great detail, so it is unclear how his figures are search for this short section dates to the 1990s and before; it derived or why one should link these variables. Through the is taken for granted that increased aridity directly equated use of scatter plots (problematically called “cloud diagrams” to decreased economic power without any consideration throughout the text), Roeten strives to demonstrate the pres- of population size, distribution, or land use, treating the ence of two, if not three, categories of tomb, ranging from Egyptians as passive actors who could not adapt their soci- “richer” to “poorer.” In chapter five he charts the differenc- ety to a slowly changing environment (for the opposite ap- es between tomb surface and chapel surface in his “richer” proach, see N. Moeller, “The First Intermediate Period: A and “poorer” categories, noting at the end of the chapter Time of Famine and Climate Change?” Ägypten und Levante that there is no relationship between them (61). Chapter six 15 [2005]: 153–67). These three pages form the basis for relates the diachronic change in number of false doors to the ‘economic decline’ portion of the title and essentialize the sample as a whole, as well as the “richer” and “poorer” the narrative of the Old Kingdom to one of a state weak- categories, finding that there is no relationship with the ened by the single variable of ongoing desertification. He surface of the chapel and the number of false doors found ignores any possible cultural and socio-political factors for in a tomb, but that two false doors becomes generally less Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 53 (2017), 331–351 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5913/jarce.53.2017.r016 331 332 JARCE 53 (2017) common after the early Fifth Dynasty (64). Chapter seven the data sets are notably missing standard deviation data, concludes the Giza section, working through size differ- sample size information (within the text and charts, not sim- ences in “richer” and “poorer” tombs and the development ply if one counts the tombs listed in his Part IV tables), or of the Giza necropolis; the relationship of chronological discussions of statistical significance which would have leant change to climate change; and “the designation of chapels more authority and complexity to his argument. The ab- with a ground-plan that leads to a divergent ratio surface/ sence of statistics despite his constant employment of num- tomb surface chapel and/or a divergent ratio width chapel/ bers undermines his analyses. Further, one of his central length of western wall.” This chapter includes an assertion findings, that there is a constant bipartite, even tripartite, that the number of false doors was perhaps “not and never division in tomb size that is indicative of socio-economic had been particularly important” (72, though see contradic- groups, is based on the inexact method of clustering. De- tion on 75, 122). He links smaller tomb sizes to a declining termining clustering requires that one use one of several economy that, due to climate change, resulted in a gener- algorithms and define the variables which will themselves ally decreased standard of living (69). However, he also links determine the clusters (my thanks to Dr. David Taylor, Roa- them to a decrease of available space at Giza (71), and the noke College Math Department, for discussion regarding movement of the royal necropolis from Giza to Saqqara this concept). This method is not employed. Instead, the (76). A plan of Giza featuring the chronological distribution author seems to be judging his clusters based on personal of individual mastabas would have supported this point and perspective; to the current reviewer, clustering was not evi- aided the reader. dent in many of the charts. Part II generally employs the methodology laid out in Roeten’s charts presenting visualizations of tomb size by Part I, using new data sets as a check or comparison against period do have the potential to be useful to dating, which the Giza information. Less time and detail is spent on these he works through explicitly in Part III, Chapter 11. Read- new samples and the analyses and presentation are not very ers will undoubtedly be drawn to this text for the potential different; therefore, Part II can read as repetitive or exhaust- to use his size ranges as one more dating criterion to help ing to readers who are not interested in the specifics of indi- refine a tomb or cemetery’s chronology. A new text on Old vidual tomb sizes in Saqqara or Abusir (but potentially very Kingdom dating always has a use. However, the text falls useful for those who are interested in mining the specifics far short of working with climate change and offers no real of dimensions). Often, the data from the newly introduced social analysis, giving it limited utility. cemeteries was included on Giza charts appearing in previ- For readers who approach this text due to interest in is- ous pages, lending confusion to the charts especially while sues of economic decline, the author falls short of establish- reading the Giza sections. ing an argument linking tomb sizes to economy and, indeed, The volume’s conclusion (122–27), tucked into Part III spends a very small number of pages and very little research (dating methods), asserts that there was a three-part divi- on the complexities behind climate change or economy, sion in social strata, a distinction not solely based on eco- instead treating them as simple categories easily reified. nomic power, apparent through tomb size and decreasing Work by Mark Lehner on basin irrigation and Juan Carlos over time (123–24); that Khufu enacted a standard tomb Morena García on economy would have enhanced the text. size across all (studied) Memphite necropoleis, from which The terms “richer” and “poorer” lend an economic feel to standard tomb size would decrease over time at all three his discussion but without correlation to titles, decoration, necropoleis (125); that the declining size in tombs from Dy- and tomb goods these terms are never problematized or so- nasty 1 to Dynasty 6 was the result of an economic decline cially defined (though see 124). The relationship of climate due to climate change (127). change to a declining (state) economy is only asserted, never Throughout the volume, the data is presented through argued or truly substantiated, by Roeten; it is the deux ex charts highlighting trend lines and clustering of the vari- machina which he employs to explain all changing size variables listed above: area of tomb, area of chapel, length of ables.

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